Tigre’s tenure at the helm of the Chilean team got off to a good start. In Parma, the national team beat the Aguilas 3-0, thanks to goals from Vargas, Bolados and Dávila. Despite the short working time, the team left feelings that call for optimism.
Every time a new stage begins in the Chilean team, hopes and expectations resurface. And all the more so with the current situation, as La Roja has not benefited from the benefits of success for a long time, and now it is the coach who has been called upon transversally to take a winding path who is in charge: Ricardo Gareca . With less than a week of work on the field, the national team had its first participation with the Tiger and the story started on the right foot. In Parma, a 3-0 victory marked the debut of the former Peru coach.
The Eagles, ranked 64th in the FIFA rankings and led by Brazilian Sylvinho, were home to the Ennio Tardini stadium. Although they are in a secondary zone in the UEFA concert, they have a solid base in Serie A and arrived in the friendly with an unbeaten record for a year. Before this examiner, the national team came to show its cards, with the confidence of the coach in the historical bases.
Bravo, Isla, Sánchez and Vargas as starters. Huaso and Turboman had not played with the team since March 2022, during the epilogue of the qualifiers for Qatar. Gareca’s first team had an average age of 29.7 years, with a 20-year difference between the eldest (Claudio Bravo) and the youngest (Darío Osorio).
The match leaves relative conclusions, because Gareca’s work on the field takes very little time. In any case, something was seen that gave a feeling of hope. From a tactical point of view, The Argentine coach had his master drawing, the 4-2-3-1 that he used mainly in Peru, although in some passages it transformed into 4-4-2 when Alexis Sánchez was installed alongside Eduardo Vargas. The Boy Wonder asked for freedom, instead of mechanization, and he got freedom. The Inter player floated as the main generator, although he had a tendency to drop back too much.
The first 20 minutes of La Roja were more than interesting, with the full-backs projected into attack against an Albania compacted on its territory. Chile had long possessions, handling the ball trying to create space, although they lacked depth to reach Strakosha’s goal.
One of Gareca’s biggest challenges at La Roja is providing goals for the team, a worrying gap for years. The first goal of this new era took 19 minutes to arrive, thanks to the return of Eduardo Vargas. The Atlético Mineiro player fired a low shot at the near post, after a pivot from Dávila. Goal 41 at La Roja, for the national team’s second all-time scorer, justifying his return.
After a promising start, up 1-0, Chile lost control of the match a little, although it did not suffer in defense. The Albanians did not worry Claudio Bravo, the team captain, who returned to the field after a long absence due to injury. The pairing of Igor Lichnovsky with Paulo Díaz in defense also presented no concerns.
The numbers showed that possession in the first half was 54% for Chile, with only one shot on goal: Vargas’ goal. One area to improve, as testing progresses, is translating possession into risky chances in the rival area. In the complement, the duel was less attractive. It became denser, until the epilogue where other notes arrived.
The most dangerous thing in the Albanian box happened in the 57th minute, with a high shot from Dávila. The course of the match left Chile more direct in attack and more compact. Albania’s efforts posed no risk to an orderly defense. Bravo was not challenged during the match. It was only in the 75th minute that an attempt from Broja generated some scares, but a cross from Isla was a saving grace. The man from Independiente delivered his performance on his return.
At 82′, Alexis was replaced by Marcos Bolados. And the next minute the Colocolino responded with a goal. After an assist from Dávila, the former Antofagasta man made it 2-0. Once again, Bolados was on the scoreboard during his coaching debut. This already happened on March 24, 2018, against Sweden, during Reinaldo Rueda’s debut. There was more missing. In added time, Víctor Dávila, one of those who responded with confidence, made the score 3-0. CSKA’s value was missing a match like this for La Roja.
It is always important to start a process with a triumph. This is just the beginning of Gareca’s tenure. In the same way, there are positive sensations to be saved and, in addition, a desire to re-enchant the fans. A significant fact: Chile had not beaten any European rival since June 4, 2018. It was a 1-0 against Serbia, with Rueda in charge.
Now it’s time for France, next Tuesday, in Marseille. These are big words.
Match sheet
Albania : T. Strakocha; E. Hysaj, E. Mihaj, B. Djimsiti, M. Mitaj; Y. Ramadani (57′, Q. Laci), K. Asllani; T. Seferi (78′, A. Hoxha), N. Bajrami (72′, E. Muci), J. Asani (63′, A. Mucolli); and R. Manaj (68′, A. Broja). DT: Sylvinho.
Chili : C. Bravo; M. Isla (86′, N. Fernández), I. Lichnovsky, P. Díaz, G. Suazo; R. Echeverría (90′+3′, E. Pavez), M. Núñez (72′, C. Pérez); D. Osorio (86′, C. Zavala), A. Sánchez (82′, M. Bolados), V. Dávila; and E. Vargas (72′, B. Brereton). DT: R. Gareca.
Goals : 0-1, 19′, Vargas, low shot after a pivot from Dávila; 0-2, 83′, Bolados, defines after a pass from Dávila; 0-3, 90’+3′, Dávila, low shot at the near post after a pass from Brereton.
Arbitrator : L. Pairetto (ITA). Reprimanded Ramadani, Hysaj (A); Sánchez, Suazo (CH).
Ennio Tardini Stadium, Parma (Italy) . Around 20,000 people took part.
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Source: Latercera
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
